Chapter 26
Jane felt very much as if she had been cheated by what life owed her. It was absolutely mad to consider that Lizzy had somehow managed, not only to escape the wrathful actions of a peer of the realm, but also to avoid compromising her reputation!
It made no sense at all that Darcy would still marry her.
He had discovered that his close relations were so upset about his plans to marry Lizzy that they spent time and money on breaking up the wedding before it began…
. People did not discover such anger within their own family and continue to carry out their own selfish plans!
It had always upset Jane that Lizzy had succeeded in attracting a wealthy, handsome man that she, herself, could not interest. It had been almost a year since that rankling realisation.
But she had been so very certain that the attraction had come to naught—the idea that he would actually marry her had been shocking, and after all that had happened, the fact that he was still eager to go through with it was at least twelve times more shocking!
Jane found it difficult to sleep, her anger at her sister and new brother was so violent.
Morning finally came, and an exhausted Jane tried very hard to re-establish her serene and angelic mien.
She went downstairs to once more face her family—the constant frowns levelled at her from her father, the skittish mistrust afforded her by her younger sisters, and her mother’s complete reversal of attitude.
Jane had long enjoyed being Mama’s favourite daughter, the one whose beauty and manners were praised to the skies multiple times a day.
Now…her mother looked at her as if she…pitied her?
For a moment, it seemed more than Jane could bear. But she pushed the thought down and played her role as happy and sweet as carefully as she ever did.